This is an in-depth feature
is about how Goldman Sachs views itself as superior to other firms on Wall
Street, how others view it, and how it weathered the financial crisis.

McLean points out that Goldman has
benefited from public money, especially, which "taps into a deep fear that ... as
one person puts it, Goldman's "skill set" is 'walking between the raindrops
over and over again and getting away with it'."

The firm's growth has increased
exponentially especially since Lloyd Blankfein became the C.E.O. McLean also
attributes this success to Goldman's political connections - it may not be a
coincidence that two of the firm's past four leaders were Treasury secretaries.

Interestingly, the feature said, in
retrospect, the firm's executives don't think they needed any bailout money,
which Blankfein attributes to the firm's renowned work ethic and ability to
manage risk.

But others don't agree and call it "pure
evil." Even former Goldman bankers say the firm thinks it's superior and that
is a problem.

McLean also pointed out that Goldman's
competition on Wall Street mostly complain about not knowing how much money the
firm makes - even though it files public financial statements.

Goldman has millions of dollars in profits,
but McLean doesn't really explain whether this might signify good times for the
rest of America.

The feature is a backgrounder
because it goes into detail about the firm, its history and dynamic. I really
enjoyed reading it but the history of the firm was a little lengthy and
somewhat boring.

This feature in the New York Times is about
Sarah Palin's popularity - or lack thereof - among women voters in the United
States.

Palin was introduced to country
by the Republican Party to bolster John McCain's popularity during the elections. Not only did she decrease McCain's
ratings, as the feature points out. She has divided Americans, "with less than
a third of Americans saying that she is qualified to be president and less than
half saying they view her "favorably" ... [But] those who still love her, really
love her ..."

Women are much less likely
than men to think Palin is qualified for the presidency, and their dislike of her has less to do with politics than with their personal
frustrations that an incoherent "cheerleader" could potentially "sashay"
herself to the Oval Office.

"Pretty and popular, with no
apparent interest in studying, she's the one who industrious girls were tacitly
promised would not succeed in the real world," Belkin said.

I think this is a trend story
because although it touches on Palin's persona, it focuses more on the bigger
picture of what voters have been thinking, and it's a hot-button topic right
now.

Interestingly, even Palin's own
party is questioning her ability, perspective and experience, although
Conservative men "love her." Belkin ends the feature with the admission that
Americans enjoy watching Palin fail, and that she will never get anyone's
respect.

This is a very engaging feature
because it starts off reminding us of who Palin was last summer before the
sudden media craze over her seemingly new approach and her new book.

The Palin ex-fan Belkin quoted
at the beginning of the feature epitomizes how Palin is losing many female
voters she needs because she is uninformed and embarrassing.

I think a few more quotes from
another woman would have been interesting - maybe a quote from a strong Palin
supporter to see why she's still sticking to Palin when the trend seems to be
the opposite.

The New York Times reported
Tuesday that President Obama may send 30,000 American troops to Afghanistan,
but the final number will be announced Tuesday next week.

Obama said his approach to the war will be different from
the previous administration's methods, although the goals of containing
Al-Qaeda will be similar.

There has been heated discussion at the White House between
Obama and his top aides, according to an administration official who said
"there was a lot of back and forth" at a two-hour meeting earlier this week.

Even Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, said there was
"serious unrest in our caucus about can we afford this war."

"The American people believe that if something is in our
national security interest, we have to be able to afford it," she said.

According to a Wednesday Associated Press report, polls show Americans' support for
the war has dropped significantly and most say the war is not worth fighting anymore.

In a Wednesday commentary for The
Progressive, Matthew Rothschild said that "it would take at least ten times
[the number of troops proposed] to have a decent chance of vanquishing the Taliban
... [it is] an enormous cost in U.S. and Afghan lives, and in U.S. tax dollars."

Calling Obama's choice a "muddle path," Rothschild added that
only more civilian and U.S. soldier deaths would result "with no end in sight."

However, press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday that the troops will
focus on securing areas taken from the Taliban so that U.S. forces can leave
soon, according to the AP.

There have been rising concerns across Minnesota over a wave
of budget cuts in the state's health care system, according to a Star Tribune report.

Hospitals, including Hennepin County Medical Center and
Regions Hospital, and clinics have had to cut positions and reduce services
because of the statewide budget cuts.

Advocacy groups have voiced major
concerns over cuts on HCMC's budget in particular. The hospital lost $12
million last year in Gov. Tim Pawlenty's unallotment process, this year it cut
200 positions, and it will cut another $43 million soon.

This would "tip this
hospital over and create a crisis," said Dr. Joseph Clinton, chief of
emergency medicine in the Star Tribune report. "It would mean unacceptable
deaths for patients who can't get care."

Pawlenty
spokesman Brian McClung said Thursday that the decisions were difficult "but
they were necessary in order to balance the state budget during a time of unprecedented
economic challenges."

The governor also plans to eliminate
General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC), which would significantly reduce the
health care coverage of those with chronic illnesses and mental health
problems.

Minnesota Public Radio reported
that the Minnesota Department of Human Services outlined a proposal to transfer
28,000 people from GAMC into MinnesotaCare, but many, like Hennepin County
Chairman Mike Opat, say the plan will not work because MinnesotaCare caps
payments and is less generous than GAMC.

Democratic state lawmakers have been developing a plan to help the sickest
GAMC patients despite the budget cuts; details of the plan will be out in a few
weeks, according to MPR.

Al Jazeera English reported
Wednesday that Israel's prime minister announced a
10-month suspension to the construction of new settlement houses in the West
Bank.

Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement
came at a press conference Wednesday, during which he said the decision was
made to encourage the peace process with the Palestinians.

Calling the move "far-reaching and
painful," according to a Haaretz report, Netanyahu said
construction would resume after the moratorium is over.

Despite the announcement, another Haaretz
report said many
Palestinian leaders are dissatisfied with the proposal because of its failure
to halt construction in Jerusalem, where Palestinians hope to establish a state
capital in the future.

According to Al Jazeera,
Israel's proposal excludes public buildings and the construction of 3,000
buildings that has already begun.

"This is not a moratorium," said chief Palestinian
negotiator Saeb Erekat. "Unfortunately, we hoped he would commit to a real
settlement freeze so we can resume negotiations and he had a choice between
settlements and peace and he chose settlements."

Netanyahu's announcement comes
after pressure from the Obama administration to freeze settlements. Although
the U.S. president has not made comments on the move yet, U.S. reactions have
been mixed. Middle East envoy George Mitchell said the move was disappointing
because it is not a full freeze on construction, but he acknowledged its
significance and potential positive impact, according to the BBC.